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Wikileaks founder Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face sexual assault allegations, a judge has ruled.

At Belmarsh Magistrates' Court in south London, District Judge Howard Riddle said the extradition would not breach Mr Assange's human rights.

Mr Assange said the ruling, which he will challenge, was due to a "European Arrest Warrant system run amok".

The 39-year-old denies three allegations of sexual assault and one of rape last August in Stockholm.

He believes the claims are politically motivated because of Wikileaks' publication of sensitive material - including leaked US diplomatic cables - from governments and high-profile organisations that has made headlines worldwide.

Mr Assange has been released on bail on the same terms he was granted in December.

Bail was granted then after he had spent nine days in Wandsworth prison in London following his arrest under a European Arrest Warrant on 7 December.

Following the extradition ruling on Thursday, Mr Assange said: "What we saw today at Belmarsh was a rubber-stamping process. It comes as no surprise, but is nonetheless wrong.

"There was no consideration during this entire process as to the merits of the allegations made against me, no consideration or examination of even the complaints made in Sweden."

He added: "We have always known that in all likelihood we would have to appeal."
'Public enemy number one'

Judge Riddle dismissed the argument that Mr Assange would not receive a fair trial in Sweden that had been made by his lawyers during the two-and-a-half-day hearing earlier this month.

They had argued that criticism by Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt had made Mr Assange "public enemy number one" in Sweden.

But delivering his ruling on Thursday, the judge said: "The defence refer to the alleged denigration of the defendant by the Swedish prime minister.

"For this reason and other reasons it is said Mr Assange will not receive a fair trial. I don't accept this was the purpose of the comment or the effect."

Mr Assange's lawyer, Geoffrey Robertson QC, had also argued that rape trials in Sweden were regularly "tried in secret behind closed doors in a flagrant denial of justice".

Clare Montgomery QC, for the Swedish authorities, told the hearing that evidence from a trial would be heard in private but the arguments would be made in public.

Judge Riddle said that did not mean the trial would be unfair or breach human rights.
Death penalty

Dismissing further arguments made by Mr Assange's lawyers, the judge found:
The allegations against Mr Assange were extradition offences
The prosecutor who issued the European Arrest Warrant for Mr Assange had been suitably qualified
The warrant was issued for the purpose of prosecution and not simply for questioning

During the hearing two weeks ago, Mr Robertson said his client could ultimately be extradited to the US on separate charges relating to Wikileaks - and could face the death penalty there.

In response, Ms Montgomery said Sweden provided "protection against that sort of threat and violation" taking place.

The European Court of Human Rights would intervene if Mr Assange was to face the prospect of "inhuman or degrading treatment or an unfair trial" in the US, she said.

During the hearing two weeks ago, Mr Robertson said his client could ultimately be extradited to the US on separate charges relating to Wikileaks - and could face the death penalty there.

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that would be the most fucked up thing ever

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I know mate. This could end up having serious repercussions in the world of journalism and is a blatant attack on proper free speech. If he does end up being extradited to the US and executed (or even just jailed long term) journalists will be too afraid to print the truth where the US is concerned. It's all getting a bit Orwellian.

Executing him would turn him into a martyr, and the U.S. is smart enough to know not to do that.

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The fact that they want to prosecute for telling the truth doesn't already make him a kind of martyr? The US gov't is looking to make an example of him to deter future whistleblower journo's so at the moment I wouldn't put alot past them.

I'm more interested to know what will happen to the U.S. solider who stole the information in the first place (I guess he'll be tried for treason and then executed). Assange's punishment should not be as severe as his, and Assange isn't even an American unlike the soldier. But then again, this would be a case of killing the messenger.

During the hearing two weeks ago, Mr Robertson said his client could ultimately be extradited to the US on separate charges relating to Wikileaks - and could face the death penalty there.

Click to expand...

that would be the most fucked up thing ever

Click to expand...

I know mate. This could end up having serious repercussions in the world of journalism and is a blatant attack on proper free speech. If he does end up being extradited to the US and executed (or even just jailed long term) journalists will be too afraid to print the truth where the US is concerned. It's all getting a bit Orwellian.

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And there's Sarah Palin and her crowd of morans cheering for the death of this guy.
She makes my head hurt every time I see her speak.

During the hearing two weeks ago, Mr Robertson said his client could ultimately be extradited to the US on separate charges relating to Wikileaks - and could face the death penalty there.

Click to expand...

that would be the most fucked up thing ever

Click to expand...

I know mate. This could end up having serious repercussions in the world of journalism and is a blatant attack on proper free speech. If he does end up being extradited to the US and executed (or even just jailed long term) journalists will be too afraid to print the truth where the US is concerned. It's all getting a bit Orwellian.

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I totally agree. I don't mean to defend his actions if he indeed assaulted those women. I don't like that "evidence from a trial would be heard in private but the arguments would be made in public." A true fair trail should allow the public to be present to detect bias, or political agendas.

I'm more interested to know what will happen to the U.S. solider who stole the information in the first place (I guess he'll be tried for treason and then executed). Assange's punishment should not be as severe as his, and Assange isn't even an American unlike the soldier. But then again, this would be a case of killing the messenger.

Currently he's in solitary awaiting a speedy trial. He does face the death penalty, and while I still believe it's a wrong punishment he kind of knew the risks before getting involved. Whereas Assange is a journalist and his right to publish the truth should be protected. If he was printing false stories or stories that put America at risk I could kind of understand, but his only crime really is showing the US Gov't to be a bunch of megalomaniacs, hypocrites and liars. Hardly good reason to punish him. It's the sort of thing you'd expect from a countries like Cuba, North Korea and China.

Quoted from twiztidsinz:

And there's Sarah Palin and her crowd of morans cheering for the death of this guy.
She makes my head hurt every time I see her speak.

You're not the only one. lol There aren't alot of people I truly despise but she is one of them.

Quoted from Sephxus:

I totally agree. I don't mean to defend his actions if he indeed assaulted those women. I don't like that "evidence from a trial would be heard in private but the arguments would be made in public." A true fair trail should allow the public to be present to detect bias, or political agendas.

Don't get me wrong, if he did indeed attack some those women then he should be well and truly punished. However, when you look deeper into it instead of scratching the surface of the propaganda you see just how badly he's being stitched up.

QUOTE(FireGrey @ Feb 25 2011, 11:35 AM) So much for the country of freedom of speech

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Anybody who thinks America has had proper free speech in the last century is deluded.

QUOTE(MEGAMANTROTSKY @ Feb 25 2011, 01:55 PM)

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The US will try to pluck Assange as soon as he arrives in Sweden.

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I'm not so sure. I think they'll allow the trial to go ahead just to give it a kind of air of authenticity. If they just pluck him up straight away then even those staunch defenders of the US claiming he's not being stitched up will have to do a double take.

During the hearing two weeks ago, Mr Robertson said his client could ultimately be extradited to the US on separate charges relating to Wikileaks - and could face the death penalty there.

Click to expand...

that would be the most fucked up thing ever

Click to expand...

I know mate. This could end up having serious repercussions in the world of journalism and is a blatant attack on proper free speech. If he does end up being extradited to the US and executed (or even just jailed long term) journalists will be too afraid to print the truth where the US is concerned. It's all getting a bit Orwellian.

Click to expand...

Not to come off as fanatical, but the way I see it, it's kind of written in the stars, so to speak. I'm no Bible thumper, but I do believe this world must go through great change. Assange as a martyr not only doesn't surprise me, but the type of free speech he and his organization have been exercising is counter to the "powers that be." It was never going to last in this world. The sorts of things WikiLeaks revealed showed American military's behavior in Iraq to be startlingly similar to that of the Nazi regime.

It's not getting Orwellian, it has been. Big Brother just doesn't relish us taking notice to that fact.

This whole farce has just been further undermining the basic rights that citizens once had.
Worst part is, I don't see it ending (or slowing down, for that matter) any time soon.

EDIT: this vid should point out exactly how retarded Sarah Palin and her followers are

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Those people are so misinformed.
Faux News told them that "ObamaCare" was FORCING them to have health care or go to jail. Faux News said that Obama was creating "Death Panels" and killing old people rather than treating them. And they lapped it up, screaming Socialism and Communism and Fascism and yet know nothing of what the word means. They hear the talking heads on Faux News say it, then parrot it back as fact. When confronted on the meaning of the words (and often times their stances) they try to wiggle out or spout off half-assed redirects of answers, what do you hate specifically about the Obama administration? "the socialist/communist/fascist agenda", or call you a socialist/communist/fascist/liberal.

And it's not just the 'regular' people either (it seems many forget that the government is supposed to work for US, not itself), it's the ones spouting the rhetoric and running for office. Sarah Palin was asked what newspapers she read to show or prove that Alaska isn't 'cut off' from the rest of the United States, stuttered for a bit then said "all of them". She reads all of the papers? Really? Someone too dumb to come up with a lie and name ONE COMMON WIDESPREAD NEWSPAPER expects us to believe she reads ALL the news papers? Even if she means 'All the newspapers in Alaska' (which would prove the point of the question), that's a tough one to swallow.

They scream about the "Redistribution of Wealth", but didn't say a peep about Bush bled this country dry by starting two wars and gave No Bid Contracts to to companies that had ties to his father and Vice President.
They scream about the illegals being terrorists and gangsters and drug dealers in one breath, then say they're taking jobs from Americans. Yet if they're drug pushing gangsters or terrorists, why are they working their asses off doing the shit jobs Americans don't want to do for a fraction of what Americans expect?

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